Gregory J. Slavonic was sworn in as the 18th Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs on June 11, 2018. He is responsible for the overall supervision and oversight of manpower and reserve component affairs of the Department of the Navy, including the development of programs and policy related to military personnel (active, reserve, retired), their family members, and the civilian workforce; the tracking of the contractor workforce; and, the oversight of human resources systems within the department. Mr. Slavonic most recently served as Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and was his last chief when he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Prior to his service on Capitol Hill, Washington, Distict of Columbia, he was a senior leader at the Computer Sciences Corporation where he planned and executed several nationwide U.S. Navy community outreach engagements. For the past 40 years, Mr. Slavonic has held various civilian senior level positions in the communications industry and held positions with broadcasting and print organizations. He was also president of Flagbridge Strategic Communications, a consulting company focused on strategic communications and leadership development programs. He has written two books on leadership development and co-authored a book on American Olympian Jim Thorpe.
Mr. Slavonic also served as the Executive Director of the Jim Thorpe Association and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. In this role he oversaw the annual presentation of the Jim Thorpe Award which is given annually to the “outstanding defensive back” in NCAA (Division I) football. His interest in sports lead him to become a minority partner with the Oklahoma City CAVALRY, a professional basketball team in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) league, which won the CBA championship in 1997.
Mr. Slavonic retired from the U.S Navy/Navy Reserve after a 34-year career. He began by enlisting as a Seaman Recruit and concluded a distinguished career attaining the rank of Rear Admiral. During his Navy career he held four command assignments, served in combat deployments to Vietnam, Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. His final assignment was as the Navy’s sixth Special Assistant to Chief of Information (CHINFO) and Director of Public Affairs Program (Reserve). He also served as the co-chair for the design and building of the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor to remember the 429 sailors and marines who served aboard the battleship and lost their lives on December 7, 1941. His service awards include Bronze Star Medal (two awards), Legion of Merit Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Combat Action Ribbon and many other service and campaign medals.
Mr. Slavonic earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma State University and M.Ed. from the University of Central Oklahoma, where he was recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Award.
Chair of the Day
Gean Atkinson is president of Atkinson Advertising Associates. He is a multiple Paul
Harris Fellow, former Rotarian of the Year and past president of Club 29.
He attended Wentworth Military Academy (Junior College), Oklahoma University and
graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with bachelors and masters degrees
in Journalism and Radio & Television. He was named the Outstanding Journalism
Graduate Student and later a Distinguished Alumni by UCO.
He was decorated as a Marine Lieutenant in Vietnam and as a Navy Captain in Desert Shield/Storm where he was the highest ranking naval public affairs officer in the United Arab Emirates responsible for press coverage of U.S. forces in the entire UAE. His many decorations include the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Combat Action Ribbon and Navy Commendation Medal with a combat “V”. He serves on the Service Academy Selection Committee for Senator James Lankford. He is a former president of the Navy League of Oklahoma City and a charter member of the U.S. Marine Corps Coordinating Council of Oklahoma. He is past president of the Committee of One Hundred which supports federal, state, county and municipal law enforcement and fire protection organizations of the Okahoman City metro area.
He was a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Vice Chairman of the Capitol Preservation Commission and secretary of the Cherokee National Historical Society. He is a co-founder of Friends of the Capitol, Inc. In 2010 he was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
He is the author of “Pilots of My Soul”, “Internal Invasion” and “Bloodmoon at Cabin Creek” which was selected as an official Oklahoma Centennial project. He is currently working on his latest novel, “A Snowball’s Chance” a story of casino intrigue.
He and his wife Sally have three grown children and two grandsons and live in Edmond.